Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3

Mercedes-Benz takes to the track with its fast and fabulous new supercar.

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is so fast it’d really be a shame if the company didn’t race it. Apparently Mercedes agrees and has developed a go-faster version of its already iconic gullwing supercar that is ready for homologation for the FIA’s GT3 class.

The SLS AMG GT3 made its auto-show debut in New York, wearing a sexy matte-white paint job with what appeared to be a 10-foot-wide carbon-fiber rear wing—plus some orange stripes, just for fun. A smooth underbody tray leads to a carbon-fiber diffuser in the rear, and the car also gets a full skirt of carbon-fiber lower aero add-ons. The GT3 features a two-inch-wider body (still rendered in aluminum) that does not resort to tacked-on fender extensions to cover the wider racing rubber. The wheels are 18-inch, center-locking units per homologation regulations, and thus don’t allow room for the standard car’s optional carbon-ceramic discs; in their place are composite brakes with cast-iron discs and aluminum hats. The side and rear glass is swapped for lighter polycarbonate, and the windshield can be as well if the customer chooses. Quick-refueling ports are found on both B-pillars to make the car compatible with a variety of different racing venues, and a full cage is fitted to the stripped cabin.

The AMG 6.2-liter V-8 engine, however, is virtually unchanged from the roadgoing version in accordance with FIA rules. The dual-clutch transmission is swapped for a more racing-friendly paddle-shifted six-speed sequential manual. Mercedes says the GT3 should hit 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, which curiously matches its claim for the standard car, and go on to a top speed of 186 mph (or lower, depending on what rear-end gearing is selected).

Mercedes will start taking orders beginning this fall. So why was the GT3 shown in the States when its earliest appearances will be in Europe? “Because it was ready,” was the short answer. The long answer is that it can build excitement for the SLS AMG in the wealthy New York–area market, and that Mercedes-Benz also is eyeing an entry in the American Le Mans Series with this car, but not until at least next year.